Inuyasha no Konto
by cursetheflame
Summary: A collection of oneshots, drabbles and ficlets featuring a variety of Inuyasha characters in all sorts of situations.
1. HER MISTRESS

Title: _Her Mistress_

Part of: _Inuyasha_ _no konto_

Theme: _Crossing Over_

Word Count: _249_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_Her Mistress_

A matter or reincarnation; She answers the call when her mistress needs her – just by crossing over.

--

From her restful sleep, she felt the call. Her black eyes snapped open – her mistress needed her.

She glanced quickly over her companions – they were tired after a long journey and would sleep soundly. They need never know she was gone.

Graceful and agile, she sprinted away from the camp, heading straight to the forest she knew so well. The trees, so familiar to her senses, waved to her, their branches flailing in the slight winds. She had seen these trees rise from their seed, when she walked this path with her mistress.

_Her mistress._

She saw the old well in the distance and lengthened her stride. She leapt when she was mere feet from the structure, landing neatly inside.

The time slip accepted her as it had for so many times in the past year – whenever the soul of her mistress cried out for her.

She landed softly on the dirt floor of the well. She paused for a moment before jumping out and, transforming so as not to scare the other, she entered through an open window.

Her mistress, different in appearance, yet as kind and strong as she was when she first knew her, sat at the table, quiet. She caught sight of the intruder and smiled, automatically sticking out her hand. "Kirara," she acknowledged warmly, stroking the fire cat behind her ears. She was not surprised – midnight visits like these were the norm when she longed for her daughter.

Kirara purred. She missed Midoriko.


	2. ALONE

Title: _Alone_

Part of: _Inuyasha_ _no konto_

Theme: _Reflection/Mirror_

Word Count: _788_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_Alone_

In a fit of loneliness, she finds solace in her sanctuary. It is only there that her reflection can show her the truth – is she truly alone?

--

The day was hot and already beginning to drag. With the young miko stubbornly remaining in her own era, Inuyasha refused to leave the side of the Old Bone-Eater's Well, while muttering to himself that he would not go after her; his back still twinged from the subjugation spell she set upon him that morning.

The kitsune remained by his side, ready to greet Kagome should she return. Amazingly, the hanyou did not acknowledge Shippou's present, nor did he push the kit away. Despite the tension, characteristically following one of the famed hanyou-miko arguments, the pair might be seen as being companionable.

And Miroku… Miroku was missing. _Probably out trying to find a willing carrier for his unborn child_, she noted sadly, trying to dissuade the jealous undertones of her mind.

Sango glanced over at the well before allowing herself to sigh. The twin-tailed fire cat at her feet mewed piteously at her mistress's obvious discontent.

She tried to cover the sigh with a small smile, but Kirara saw through the façade; instead, she rubbed the taijiya's muscular legs, wrapping her kitten form in the green fabric of her mistress's skirt.

"Come, Kirara," Sango murmured, turning her back on the well. When Kagome returned, she would know.

Quietly, she began to walk through the forest, treading a familiar path. As it was her custom, during their stay in Kaede's village, Sango found her way to the small stream. _Her_ stream.

Sango adored the area surrounding the brook. It was quiet, and there was a nary a sign of youkai. The trees clouded out the mid-day sun, and she felt it to be a comforting place when she needed some time alone.

_Alone_.

Kirara sat at the root of one of the trees, licking her paw and washing her face, content that her mistress was more at peace than before. Sango scratched her behind her ears quickly before continuing forward til she made contact with the water.

Pausing at the edge of the stream, she peered down. In the calmly swaying water, it was possible for her to make out her reflection. A young woman looked back at her, more wisdom and sadness lurking beneath the depths of her eyes than many of the elderly women in the village. Her long black hair framed her face perfectly, falling forward as if creating a curtain to hide behind. Her lips were thin and curved downward. She was frowning.

Sango continued to look down into the water. This time, though, she was not focusing on what she was seeing in the reflection, rather what was not there. There was no one else around her. She was alone.

_I was meant to be alone_, she thought sadly, _every since Naraku took my world away from me_. With the execution and annihilation of the exterminator's village, as well as the murder and enchantment of her beloved brother, Naraku had stolen everything she had ever known.

The reflection's somber eyes now held tears, as they threatened to flood the stream. Sango made no attempt to wipe them away as they fell.

_Alone_.

Kirara caught the salty scent of tears and mewed once more. She rose and trotted over to Sango's side, willing her mistress calm. The soft touch of the kitten's fur soothed Sango, but did not quell her loneliness.

A twig nearby snapping broke up the transparent gloom – someone approaching her sanctuary brought her from her silent reverie.

"Sango? Is that you? I've been looking for you…"

Wiping her tears hurriedly, she turned to the voice and smiled when she saw Miroku approaching, carrying a small bouquet of wildflowers.

"After I heard that Inuyasha and Kagome got into another of their fights, I realized again how special you are. So when I was finished with my morning prayers… I thought you might like these," he said, shrugging as she accepted the small token. He seemed perturbed at her obvious unhappiness, but said nothing more.

Sango reached for the flowers, holding them to her before holding them to her chest. Thankful that he chose to disregard her upset, at least momentarily, she glanced back down at the water to calm herself.

Her reflection changed, as Miroku walked forward to stand beside her. As if her earlier doubts had all but been washed away in the sparkling stream, the sadness in her eyes diminished. Her mirror image smiled demurely, side by side to the handsome monk, who, mischievously tried not to reach for her rear, glanced down at the reflection with adoration in his own expression.

With a content sigh, Sango realized that this was what she had been looking for when she gazed into the stream those countless times before.

She was not alone.


	3. AN UNEXPECTED FIND

Title: _An Unexpected Find_

Part of: _Inuyasha_ _no konto_

Theme: _Shikon_ _no Tama_

Word Count: _499_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_An Unexpected Find_

While out walking Rin discovers a bit of pretty glass, allowing Sesshoumaru time for reflection on the petty desires of a hanyou.

--

"Hmm, what is this?" asked the young girl as she reached into the grass and pulled out a small piece of pink glass. "Lord Sesshoumaru? Master Jaken? I found something over here," she called, running to the side of the tai-youkai and his toad-like imp before offering her find to him.

Sesshoumaru took the shard from Rin, holding it delicately in his claw. The strong demonic pull of the object took him by surprise. He raised it to his eye and peered intently inside and nearly lost his stoic expression. Swirling in the depths of the fragment the tai-youkai viewed the intermingling souls of a great miko and her formidable opponents, engaged in a never-ending battle.

He closed his eyes for a moment as he felt the hint of power emanating from the shard as it radiated against his claws. He recognized the steady rhythm and hums of the object – a piece of the famed Shikon no Tama.

Despite the single shard that Naraku had lent him early on in this second phase of deceptions, this was the only fragment that Sesshoumaru and his companions had chanced upon during their travels. But, no bother -- he had no need for such an object.

Especially an object that was, even now, calling out for power: either corruptible or with a hint of purification intent.

He was not quite sure that he found it all that pleasant. But, if not pleasant, what other reason should the half-breeds have for desiring such an object? Surely neither Inuyasha nor Naraku sought to use such a trinket in order to garner the power disallowed to their kind?

Rin hopped from one foot to the next, waiting for the Lord's assessment. The imp stuck his Staff of Two Heads into the dirt before reprimanding the young girl. "Hush, Rin. Lord Sesshoumaru is obviously discovering the secrets behind that thing you found."

Sesshoumaru ignored his two vassals as he rubbed the jewel shard between two of his claws. It seemed fragile enough – surely a squeeze between his fist would be enough to grind the fragment into mere dust.

Yet, whether for amusement at the piteous plight of the ancient miko and such pathetic demons, or for utter indifference to the petty desires of dirty half-breeds, Sesshoumaru cast no further thought toward the object. After all, he had no need nor want for it himself; as it was, the object of a hanyou's obsession was far too tainted for the great tai-youkai.

"Rin, it is nothing," Sesshoumaru announced finally, tossing the shard to the ground. With his pronouncement, he began to walk away, leaving the child to watch his retreating figure.

Jaken nodded urgently before following at Sesshoumaru's heels. "Yes, child, it is nothing," he squeaked, waving his staff around as he ran. "Now come along before you are left behind."

Rin allowed a bit of distance between herself and the pair of youkai before bending down and retrieving the bit of nothing. At least it was pretty…


	4. MEMORY TRACE

Title: _Memory Trace_

Part of: _Inuyasha_ _no konto_

Theme: _Villain_

Word Count: _1068_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_Memory Trace_

In every story, there is a hero and a villain. In Kagome's tale, she was the heroine. Who, then, was the villain?

--

It was the one day a year that she allowed herself to revel in the past, relive the memories that haunted her dreams and kept her from her sleep. If her family understood her distress at this particular date, they said nothing. Instead, they turned their heads as she made up a lame excuse before reaching in the kitchen drawer, pulling out the worn book. She held the book close to her chest and made her way out the back door. They never even noticed her escape.

She shuffled across the yard, her eyes stayed to their course. From the countless treks made to the old well-house her feet knew every step. Her hands reached out for the door, recognizing the familiar feel of the wood. She sighed, and slipped inside.

Slowly, she pulled the door shut behind her. It was on this day that she craved the silence, needed the loneliness.

She faced the well – the cursed well – and sat down on the step. If only she had known then what had laid awaiting at the foot of these very steps, all those years ago?

A trace of a memory crossed her face. Her lips curled upwards, a ghost of the smile she once wore. She found comfort in the musty scent that accompanied the well-house, dank and damp from years of non-use.

Feeling as though the past was settling down around her, she pulled out the old book and read the first page:

_My name is Kagome Higurashi and a funny thing happened on the morning of my fifteenth birthday: I became the heroine of a feudal fairy tale…_

If Kagome was the heroine, who was the villain? For, as every child knows, a fairy tale must have its villain.

She looked upon the first character introduced in the journal's tale: Inuyasha. If she had put the book down then, having read no more pages thereafter, the answer would have been found. Having mistaken her for the priestess who had sealed him fifty years prior, Inuyasha had attacked Kagome shortly after she broke the spell. But, if she had forsaken the opportunity to read on about such an adventure, she would not have seen how the pair had grown to tolerate and, later, love one another. If Kagome was the heroine in the tale, Inuyasha had been her hero.

Was the lecherous monk the villain then? Miroku? The womanizer took every opportunity to find a woman eager to bear his children in order to continue his family line. Though he had attempted to kidnap Kagome in order to steal her jewel shards when they met, it was not out of spite nor greed – it was out of necessity. He desired to collect the shards that she and Inuyasha were already after in order to chase out his own enemy. Due to a curse that threatened his own life, Miroku thereafter joined in on the pair's adventures to search out the youkai responsible for the kazaana in his hand.

Might it have been the youkai exterminator mentioned not long after the monk? Sango? Having been manipulated to believe that Inuyasha had been the youkai behind her village's decimation, the taijiya aimed to kill the hanyou. Neither perished in the battle, and became all the stronger for the fight. Sango was invited to join their fledgling pack, becoming the sister Kagome always needed, the fighter Inuyasha admired, the woman Miroku desired.

They, including the fox kitsune, Shippo, were her friends – her newfound family. The ones who protected her and loved her in turn. The ones that enabled her to return to the past, and battle on. The ones that helped her to seek out their villain.

Flipping through the pages, pages worn with innumerable reads, she caught sight of familiar names: Kagura, Kanna, Goshinki, Muso, Akago, Moryomaru… The list grew on, each entry in the diary carrying the name of another villain in the adventure. Long ago, she came to regard these names as the wrong-doers, versus the good characters of the story. But she knew, beyond them all, that the strongest villain of them all was a human-demon hybrid called Naraku. It was, in fact, such a hanyou that spawned the numerous detachments mentioned throughout the journal.

Naraku. From the first mention of the demon-consumed bandit, one could almost feel the hatred and despair underlying the characters of his name. It was he who orchestrated the betrayal between Inuyasha and the miko, Kikyo, fifty years before she had met the hanyou. It was he who cursed Miroku's family line with the kazaana and urged the monk to find a carrier for his child before said line dies out. It was he who slaughtered Sango's entire village before using her younger brother as a puppet to carry out his wishes.

Everything bad that happened to them all had happened because of Naraku. Surely, then, it was he who was the mighty antagonist of the tale.

She closed the book, sighing with a sense of finality. The book had never been finished, instead left behind for a poor, distraught mother to find. It was in her own sweet way that Kagome was able to tell her mother of her adventures in the past when she could not do so herself. Without meaning to – or maybe that was her intention all the while – Kagome lent some sort of closure for her mother.

However, the abruptness of the close of her entries was enough to nearly drive her mother mad with grief – how had the fairy tale ended? But, it was only on this certain day that she gave into her worries and tried to imagine a happy ending to her daughter's adventure. Every year, on the day the adventure began, the day the adventure ceased, the day of Kagome's birth, she re-read her daughter's old journal, trying to find solace in the words penned so long ago. Yet, every year, she only arrived upon a single conclusion.

Who exactly was the great villain in Kagome's feudal fairy tale? To Aki Higurashi, it wasn't a who – it was a what.

The greatest villain in her daughter's adventures? It was the well...

It was the ancient well that drew her daughter into the past countless times. The well that tore from her the normal life she knew, keeping her from her family and friends in the present time. The well that ultimately neglected to bring Kagome back home.

It all came down to that damned well...


	5. NARCISM

Title: _Narcism_

Part of: _Inuyasha no konto_

Theme: _Yuri_

Word Count: _1006_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_Narcism_

NARCISM **n**; _an exceptional interest in and admiration for yourself._   
Is it considered narcism when the one you are interested in is not you -- but one who shares your face?

--

With a huff, Kagome tossed her monstrous yellow knapsack over the rim of the ancient well before following after. The force of her throw caused her body to shift, throwing her off balance. The result was that she landed sprawled on the grass alongside her pack.

Cursing herself and her clumsiness, Kagome made to stand but paused when she sensed someone approaching. The aura was familiar to her, but as her head was on the ground, she was unable to see who was walking towards the well. Relying on her other senses, she knew that it could not be Inuyasha that was approaching. Inuyasha expected her back the next morning – and he rarely walked when in a hurry, preferring to use the trees. The slight of the footfalls indicated that her visitor was neither Sango nor Miroku; the cautious approach proved that it was not Shippou hurrying forward. There was no whirlwind approaching, so she knew it could not be Kouga. Who, then, was it?

She stayed on the ground a second longer, temporarily paralyzed by her own curiosity and stupidity. She had intended to surprise her friends with an earlier return. Instead, she found herself on the ground facing down an unknown visitor. As they expected her the following morning, none had been around to welcome her. Now she was alone and facing a potential enemy.

Her thoughts were confirmed when she heard the tell-tale whistle of an arrow let fly. It missed her, as she prayed that it would, striking the base of the well. Close enough to scare her, though, Kagome pressed herself flat against the ground. She did not want to rise. She needed to plan a counter-strike before facing her attacker.

"Kagome." The voice held no emotion. The word was not a question.

_Kikyou._

Kagome pulled herself up, but refused to stand. She was not sure she would find the strength in her legs to support her should she try. She did not fear the priestess, but sense and experience told her that she should.

"Disregard the arrow," Kikyou commanded, though Kagome thought that such was easier said than done. "I have set up a barrier around this area that none should pass through."

Puzzled, Kagome glanced past Kikyou and saw the pink haze that indicated that a small barrier was placed around the pair, with the well – and the arrow embedded in it – as the central focus of the spell. "But... why?" Kagome asked, more than a little nervous. She very rarely came across the dead priestess when alone; how was she to respond to Kikyou?

"I have come to see you, Kagome. I have come to find the answer to a question I have long pondered." Kikyou knelt down across from her reincarnation and her cold eyes stared. "When I look at your face, I see my own. This interests me, and I know not why."

The proximity of the older priestess unnerved her. Kagome tried to move away and found herself on her knees, back against the well. "I've been told that we look the same," Kagome answered with a small smile.

Kikyou nodded and leaned forward as if she were searching Kagome's face for an answer to some unasked question.

Kagome squirmed under the intense gaze, but did not lower her eyes. Instead she stared back at Kikyou, surprised to see such an interested expression on her face. An expression akin to… desire? Or was it loathing? "I should hate you, for being alive and stealing my features. I have more than once conspired to kill you, and have once tried to do so on my on. Yet, I can not achieve it – Why?" Though her words were harsh, her tone remained emotionless. Her eyes continued to delve into Kagome's soul.

It was her stomach that squirmed this time, though her body tensed. Why was Kikyou looking at her this way? "Ki—Kikyou…"

The dead miko did not acknowledge her reincarnation's address; she rose up on her knees and leaned in even more so forward. Slowly, as if it were her intent all the while, she lifted her hand and ran it down Kagome's cheek, almost as if testing that the young girl were real. "Your skin is so like mine was," she observed.

Kagome felt a strange sensation race down her spine at the touch. It grew even more when she saw that Kikyou's hand had dropped to her shoulder.

"Your body is firm yet tender," Kikyou added, her voice still without a hint of emotion, though her eyes seemed more alive.

Kagome, regardless of her own ideas, felt her body betray her as she leaned into Kikyou's touch. The cold faux flesh felt welcome against Kagome's flushed skin.

Kikyou's hand dropped forgotten when the pair locked eyes. Grey upon grey, they stared at each other before Kikyou pursed her lips and leaned in towards Kagome. Kagome froze against the well, anticipating the pressure that would come.

She was not sure if she welcomed it or feared it.

Kikyou's lips never made contact, instead breezing past the side of the younger miko's face.

It was a tease and, too late, Kagome realized it. Cursing herself now for even considering taking Kikyou's kiss, Kagome overbalanced in her haste to distance herself from Kikyou and tottered forward. Falling off of her knees, she landed face down in the grass, once more next to her yellow bag.

"Kagome… I thank you. I think I have a better understanding now…" Kikyou's voice entered her mind and captured her attention. She listened to hear if she had more to say, but the early evening silence settled upon her.

She didn't even have to move from her position in the grass to know that the miko had risen and was continuing on her own path. A minute later she knew she was correct when she felt the barrier dispel.

She let Kikyou go, though a strange part of her desired to call for her. She did not, and contented herself to pound the grass in frustration. Without meaning to, Kagome had found herself in the same vulnerable position she had been in those precious few moments ago; it seemed that every thing that just had passed had been a strange dream, but she knew that from Kikyou's visit, the dead miko held one more thing of her's…

With her continued presence, she held Kagome's sense of herself.

With Inuyasha's loyalty, she held Kagome's heart.

And with this, Kikyou now held Kagome's interest.


	6. THRICE

Title: _Thrice_

Part of: _Inuyasha_ _no konto_

Theme: _Inupapa_

Word Count: _2948_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_Thrice_

_They say that the third time is the charm. _  
After the death of his first mate, the Inu no Taisho spent two centuries wandering through the place of her death. Now, all those years later, he chances upon a human girl once, twice, thrice before he realizes that she would be the one -- he has finally found someone else to love.

--

The first time she saw him, she was frightened. She had, against all better judgment, ventured far from her father's home. Her path led her into the forest bordering her father's land and she, defiantly, continued on. It was his forest – the forest belonging to the great Inu no Taisho – and she knew it; all the children knew the tales. Her own nurses had warned her of the beast that prowled the forest and what he would do should she disobey them. For, as they all knew, only their nurses and parents had the power to call the Inu no Taisho to their aid in punishing naughty children. But, at the age of ten, she didn't care. She would walk through the forest if she wanted – at least that is what she told herself until she caught sight of a being that could be no one but the Inu no Taisho. She caught a glimpse of the long silver-white ponytail, the mokomoko-sama settled upon his shoulder and ducked behind a nearby bush, praying that she had been unnoticed. She spied him tense and sniff the air gently until his gaze fell on where she sat, hiding. A smirk played on his handsome face and she was able to see fangs glinting in the morning light. The sight spooked her and, again against all better judgment, she ran. He remained behind and she made it home. Her nursed scolded her for being out all morning; she apologized and neglected to mention the mysterious youkai. Over time, she forgot about the encounter.

The second time she saw him, she was entranced. It was on her fourteenth birthday that she, for the second time in her life, decided to walk into the forest. Talks had been had concerning impending marriage for the young hime; though no acceptable suitors had approached her yet, she was wary of her fate. Instead of listening to further discussions regarding her future, she escaped. Seeking solitude, she headed for the forbidden forest. It was no sooner that the woods swallowed her that she happened across the Inu no Taisho. A long lost memory from her childhood surfaced when she spied the magnificent lord. Though she had matured in the time that had passed, he had remained the same. Age seemed not to touch the tai-youkai, and she felt a pang at his ethereal beauty. She met his gaze and took a few steps closer to get a better look at the man standing across from her. Her courage failed after three steps and she paused, bowing to him in respect and reverence. She remained low for a moment longer before she heard an inhuman sound cross his lips. It was such a sound that set her mind right; she was a young woman alone with a demon. Her sense caught up with her at that moment and she fled. This time she hoped he would follow. He did not.

The third time she saw him, however, her reaction was quite different from the two previous encounters: she died.

---

As it was his custom, the Inu no Taisho found himself wandering through the wide open space of his forest. A cozy nook of his extensive territories, it was here that he lost his first mate; it was here he found the one that he would take as his second. To a great youkai as himself, time seemed to pass as easily as sighs; it seemed that mere moments had passed since Sumi had been struck down. In truth, it had been over two hundred mortal years.

Two hundred years. It had been two hundred years that Sumi had fallen prey to a fierce bear youkai. Though the demon was not a match for his cool and collected mate normally, she had turned wild in an attempt to save their young son from the attack. He had been away on his own business and had returned in time to find Sesshoumaru lapping at his mother's cheek. Too small and defenseless to do anything but cower as his mother was slew, he only emerged when she fell. The bear youkai lumbered away after his kill leaving the young pup to tend to his mother. Thus was how the Inu no Taisho found his fledgling family.

With a calm look, he gently pulled Sesshoumaru away from his mother, refusing to acknowledge his whimpers and whines. He held him back with his left hand as he used his right to select one of the three mighty swords from his obi. He slowly unsheathed the Tenseiga, awaiting the pulse that indicated that the sword was preparing itself for its purpose. Yet the sword remained still.

He gripped the hilt of the sword and narrowed his eyes. The blade refused to come to life.

The Inu no Taisho turned his scrutiny to the corpse of his former love. There was no hint of her youki about her; the tsukai had already claimed her. Sumi was gone.

Without even bothering to place Tenseiga in it's sheathe, the Inu no Taisho fell to his knees and, joining in with his son, cried and bayed for the loss of the female demon.

And now, near two hundred years past, the Inu no Taisho found himself haunting the forest where Sumi had been killed. He found the solitude of the green to be comforting whenever he felt the loss that pained his heart. It was only then that he was able to slip out from behind the façade that he had assumed upon her death; it was the same sort of cold mask his own son had adopted once he was old enough to understand his role in his own mother's demise.

He cleared his mind of Sesshoumaru as he walked, alone, through the woods. _It was no good to brood on the past_, he scolded, then raised an eyebrow at the absurdity of the thought. What had been doing for the past two centuries if not brooding?

Suddenly a twig snapped and, to his heightened audible senses, the Inu no Taisho knew that someone had dared to venture into his domain. He tensed but felt no rival youki in the vicinity; lifting his nose into the air he sniffed and caught sense of a young human, covered in the scent of fear. His eyes followed where his nose knew the visitor lay and he was able to make out a small girl. She was shaking slightly, hidden partially behind a bush. He smirked slightly; he hadn't seen a human this small in quite some time. It was an interesting sight to the tai-youkai and he inhaled her fearful scent before he saw her bolt off in the opposite direction. He let her go, though the intrigued part of him wondered why he did. He then wondered why he should be intrigued at all. Then he turned and walked away.

After the encounter, the Inu no Taisho used any excuse to remain closer to the forest. He sent Sesshoumaru out to learn his duties, explaining his reasons that his heir would inherit the position within time. And, though he told himself that he haunted the forest much more frequently now was to be closer to the memory of Sumi, he knew he wanted to glimpse the young human again. After all, she was the first human he had ever seen walk freely through his forest – the only human he had encountered so close that he had spared. Maybe she would chance the path once more.

It wasn't until four mortal years later that she found her way to the forest again. He had been away for a time squashing a rebellion that had risen up against Sesshoumaru, and was eager for solitude, whether he stumbled across her or not. In his silence, he wandered through the forest, daring to trace fairly close to the wooded edge.

And, as luck would have it, when he desired to be alone, there she was. Her scent met his nose before his presence reached his eyes.

The pair paused when they realized that no more than a hundred yards separated them. He waited for her to make her move – would she run? Or would she be as interested as he?

He watched as she, taller and prettier than she was at their last meeting, took a few tentative steps forward. Then, she lowered her gaze and bowed.

His emotionless expression nearly slipped off his face at her act of submission; whether she was aware of the meaning behind her actions mattered to him not. It had been two hundred years since someone excited him – two hundred years until someone willingly submitted themselves to him. He couldn't suppress it; a feral growl escaped his lips.

He watched as her head jerked up in surprise and fear. She stumbled backwards, eager to put further space between herself and the tai-youkai. Fear fueling her flight, she hurriedly flew from the forest.

The Inu no Taisho, angry at himself and at the human girl's naivety, lashed out at a nearby tree, his claws cleaving it into two. The frustration eased a bit, but not nearly enough.

This time it was he who forgot about her.

It was many a moon before the Inu no Taisho visited his revered forest once more. Though he still held the memory of his dead mate within him, he had given up on the idea of every finding a suitable companion. It was folly to be infatuated by a mortal and, besides, to be one so powerful as he was to be lonely, he reasoned, and used his loneliness to fuel many wars, with his son by his side. Sesshoumaru had grown to be a powerful inu youkai, and the Inu no Taisho was proud to have reared such an impressive heir. It could not be helped that his son did not have a mother figure in his life, but if the Inu no Taisho was resigned to loneliness, Sesshoumaru would live the same sort of life.

At least, such was what he told himself when many magnificent inu youkai bitches came forth to replace Sumi. To him, it somehow felt wrong to replace his dead mate with one like her; maybe that was why he felt it acceptable to desire a human girl. She was as different to his kind as anyone could be – yet he had been desirous of her. If only her fear did not cause her to run so.

Therefore, when the Inu no Taisho found himself in his forest, his thoughts were no longer on the young girl he had only spied twice. Instead, he was wondering about a battle Sesshoumaru had left to orchestrate; in truth, he was also beginning to wonder if his son would soon try to overtake him for the role of Inu no Taisho.

So, lost in though, the Inu no Taisho walked through the trees, disregarding his surroundings, allowing the full moon to guide his steps. It wasn't until a familiar scent caught his attention – it was her. But something was wrong, her scent was filled the stench of deep regret and fear. He paused and used his ears to discern which way she was heading. The quiet of the night helped him to pick up the rush of her steps much easier than one would have thought. Once he knew where she was, he took off, resting his right hand between two of his blades: the Tenseiga and the Tessaiga. He wasn't sure which he would need.

He emerged from behind a particular cluster of trees to find the girl – the woman – sprawled out on the grass, limp. The overwhelming stench of death was present, as well as a strong odor of freshly spilt blood. He paused at her side, and narrowed his gaze at her petite form. Using the second sight, he spied a horde of tsukai resting on top of her; she had already died. His hand, leaning towards the Tessaiga, reached for the Tenseiga. He slowly removed it from it's sheathe, but place it at his side. Not for the first time he must try to revive someone endeared to him; would the sword respond this time, as it did not for Sumi? The presence of the tsukai was a sign, at least. It was impossible for him to revive Sumi when there was nary a sign of the dreaded messengers. Would it be possible, then, to revive this human girl?

He took a deep breath before swiping at the tsukai. A flash of his youki followed the tail of the Tenseiga as the imps vanished. A slight cough followed and the human girl rolled onto her back. She was alive.

The Inu no Taisho placed the Tenseiga back in it's sheathe before looking upon her flushed face. He waited until she had pulled herself up and was inspecting her side for a non-existent wound to speak. "You are healed," he said, simply.

She confirmed that he spoke the truth when, beneath the drying blood, she felt no wound. A faint blush colored her porcelain cheeks and she bowed her head. "I'm not so sure that I should thank you, my lord."

He raised an eyebrow and bared one of his fangs in morbid amusement. "Do you tell me that you wish I should have let you die? The wound had harmed you grievously. If not for my interference, you would have remained dead."

"That was my idea, my lord. The wound was inflicted by my own hand to result in death," she answered, her voice faltering though the tone of it remained somewhat defiant.

The Inu no Taisho was not expecting such a reply, though the rusty katana next to her showed that her words were true. But, to him, she was an unattainable vision, a girl he had desired, though he himself knew not why. Yet, he had finally found himself speaking with her to find that she was capable of taking her own life. He wiped his face of any expression and looked down upon her. "And why would you desire such a result?"

She lifted her head, amazed at the manner in which he spoke to her. Surely this was not the beast of her childhood stories? Yet he was the only one – man or beast – who was willing to listen to her; maybe if she had had a confidante prior her actions would not have been so drastic. She met his golden eyes and frowned. "My father has promised me to a vile man that I do not wish to marry. My wedding will be tomorrow and, as I do not love him, I felt that taking my own life would spare me from pledging it to him."

He took in her statement and nodded once. To him, the news that was still unattached was pleasant. His nose could detect whether she was pure or not, but it did not acknowledge whether or not she was wedded. Filling a pleasantness that he hadn't known since Sumi's death two centuries before, he knelt down beside her and wrapped his mokomoko-sama around her thin shoulders. "Come, then, child. What is your name?"

Her chin lifted stubbornly. "Child? I am almost eighteen years old," she answered, the fear that clung to her before her death gone. He noticed with another smirk that she no longer feared him. She caught his smirk and tensed, pulling the fluffy appendage around her shoulders. When he made no attempt to respond to her words, she lowered her eyes again. "My name is Izayoi."

_Izayoi_. Looking up at the full moon, the Inu no Taisho smiled. Her name fit.

He reached one of his claws out and placed it under her chin. He used gentle force to lift her eyes to meet his own. "Izayoi, so we finally speak."

Her blush darkened, aware of the proximity between herself and the great tai-youkai. She had somehow known that if she had fled to the forest to end her life, she would somehow find the answers to the questions that plagued her since she was ten, since that first time she encountered the Inu no Taisho. In one step she would escape marriage to such a villain, as well as find peace. To Izayoi, it was the only way. However, it was he that saved her from such a fate. In such, she hoped she would learn from him exactly what had come to pass. "Yes," she replied, though her eyes said more, much more.

The Inu no Taisho heard her words, but also read those hidden behind her eyes. It was at that moment that he knew that all those years of wondering through the forest had a purpose. His destiny had brought him to her; he knew that this young human was the one. He would save her from her proposed marriage. In doing so, he would save himself.

It had taken thrice the visits with Izayoi to find the answers he had been searching for himself, but he knew, just as he knew with Sumi, that she was the one. And this time – this time he would die before he let any harm befall a mate. He had already seen her die once, and he would not allow it to happen again.

Keeping the fur around her frame, the Inu no Taisho gently lifted the young hime to her feet. When he began to lead her away from the edge of the forest, going deeper into the woods instead of returning to her father's home, Izayoi followed him. For the first time, she did not run.


	7. KAGOME no BISHOU

Title: _Kagome no Bishou_

Part of: _Inuyasha_ _no konto_

Theme: _Memory_

Word Count: _250_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_Kagome no Bishou_

It's been decades since their adventure ended, but he's never been able to forget. Now grown, with a mate of his own, the memories come flooding back when he least expects them. How can he fight them now when he couldn't fight reality back then?

--

He was in the midst of another fitful sleep. He whimpered and whined, the ghosts of his childhood memories reviving in the only arena they held sway: his nightmares.

Akina moved closer to her mate's strong form, using her presence to calm him. When it didn't work, she leaned her head against his, nuzzling his cheek with hers. She alternately licked his face and nipped his neck, trying to reassure him that he had long since grown and was no longer running from his foe.

But her ministrations did nothing to soothe him. Akina wasn't surprised. She wasn't the one that saved him then; it wouldn't be her that saved him now. She joined in his quiet cries before she withdrew and returned to her own slumber.

But he, himself, was not entirely asleep. When he heard Akina's soft snores fill their den, he removed himself from her embrace. Using his night eyes he pulled out a worn piece of red fabric from under his kimono. Caressing it lovingly, placing it to his cheek, he wrapped himself in the memory that was Kagome.

Her scent had lingered and then faded decades ago but he denied the fact; if he breathed deep enough he always seemed to catch a hint of her. Her scent – always so pure, so alive, even now – did what Akina could not; a sense of calm washed over him and he pushed away the unwanted memories in favor of her smile.

Her smile was his favorite memory.

--

_Bishou_ – smile  
_Akina_ _­_– Red flower


	8. FORGET REGRET

Title: _Forget Regret_

Part of: _Inuyasha_ _no konto_

Theme: _Goodbye_

Word Count: _506_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_Forget Regret_

Their entire journey came down to this one moment. It was time to say goodbye.

--

It was hard for her to stand. Knees knocking, she used the old well for support.

Kagome took a deep breath and looked over inside the structure. Once comforting, the dark depths reminded her of things that would never be.

She turned her head from the darkness, her raven hair whipping around to rest on her shoulder. Her courage failed her and she slumped to the dirt. How could they expect this of her? After working so long and so hard to complete the Shikon no Tama, didn't she deserve total happiness? Happiness did not dictate that she give up half of her life.

Happiness did not, but her duty did. As well as her heart.

She removed the pale pink orb from her neck and looped the newly fashioned chain around her fingers. Even now, when the jewel hung loosely out of her hands, it called for her to make a wish.

She could, she reasoned, wish for the well to remain open – but what good would that do? If the time slip never closed, she would be trapped between two eras for ever, never truly belonging. And wasn't it that sense of belonging she wanted more than anything?

She picked herself up off of the ground and leaned against the well. Tears were in her eyes as she climbed up to sit on the wooden edge. She glanced into the darkness and saw their faces already. There would be tears from them as well – gods, would there be tears – but she had to do this. She had to belong. And, regretfully, she knew where she belonged. Wasn't it where she had always belonged?

She knew that her excuses were lame and told nothing of the torment she had been wrestling with for the past few months. She knew that their journey would eventually lead to this one moment but it was now her journey – she stood alone. Inuyasha could not rescue her from her inner demons; Miroku did not have an ofuda for regrets. At last, Kagome had to make her own decisions without any help.

It was time.

She wiped her eyes hurriedly and glanced inside the structure once more. As hard as this would be, she would have no regrets. Sadness, yes – even loneliness and forgotten memories, but no regrets.

She looked around, taking in the surroundings. The next time she saw them, she would be home. The well would be gone. As she clasped the sacred jewel around her neck, she allowed herself a small smile. _I'll make sure of that. _

It was time.

She took another deep breath once the jewel was resting on her chest once more. Soon the weight of such burdens would be lifted and she would be free. All she had to do was get past this, this the most difficult decision of her life. But she would do it – it was her destiny.

With a shaky resolve and a sense of impending loss, Kagome tossed herself into the well.

It was time to say goodbye.


	9. SISTERS

Title: _Sisters_

Part of: _Inuyasha_ _no konto_

Theme: _Unromantic Relationship_

Word Count: _1101_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_Sisters_

_Between sisters, often, the child's cry never dies down. "Never leave me," it says; "do not abandon me." _  
- Louise Bernikow

--

"Sister?" Her quiet voice was filled with fear as she hurried out of the hut they shared. She glanced back to make sure that she had not overlooked her sister's mat; she trembled and ran forward at the sight of the empty hut. She was alone. "Sister Kikyou?"

Her small feet were undersized and caused her to stumble as she ran toward the shrine. Kikyou had not been in their hut with the dawning of the sun. If not there, she would certainly be in the shrine, watching over the Shikon no Tama.

It had only been a short while since she had been entrusted with the duty of protecting the jewel and Kikyou had quickly adapted, spending much of her time praying for its purification. However she had never left for the shrine without tending to her sister first.

The young girl's heart pounded as horrific images ran through her imaginative mind. Her parents had been lost to disease the winter before. Had Kikyou finally suffered the same fate?

She continued to race forward, stopping only when she met with a strong barrier that surrounded the shrine. In her panic, she tried to use her limited spiritual powers to break through. The barrier refused to move.

"Sister!" She beat her small fists against the barrier in a rhythm to her yells. "Sister Kikyou!"

She didn't notice when the barrier faded so, when it did, she fell forward landing in the dirt.

Kikyou appeared at the shrine's entrance, her priestess garb adding to her aura of powerfulness. She stared down upon her younger sister. "Kaede. Why aren't you back at the hut?"

Kaede pulled herself up from the ground and launched herself at Kikyou's legs. She nuzzled against the coarse fabric, leaving a dirt imprint upon it's folds. "Oh, Sister. I thought you had left me. I thought I was all alone," she cried, refusing to lessen her hold. As long as she held onto Kikyou, she was safe. She was not alone.

Kikyou attempted to separate herself from her sister. When she couldn't, she wrapped her arms around Kaede and squeezed. "Don't worry, little sister. As long as I am here, you shall never be alone. And I shall always be here." She soothingly smoothed down her sister's hair. It was a gesture she remembered from their mother and she knew it would help to calm Kaede; after all, such a gesture had calmed her when she was younger. "I promise."

Hidden in the folds of Kikyou's red hakama, her dark eyes shone in admiration of her older sister believing every word she told her. Kikyou had always been there for her. She always would be.

---

"Sister?" She was older now; a full three summers had passed since she and Kikyou were left alone together. Well, not entirely alone. Though she tried to deny it, and told not a soul, Kaede knew. Kikyou, the pure, sweet, powerful miko, had been deceived into believing she had fallen in love. "Sister Kikyou?"

Her feet had matured, lending her an agility that sent her barreling towards the forest. That wretched half-demon, the monster that stole her sister's heart, had betrayed Kikyou by stealing the Shikon no Tama.

Her heart thumped against her small frame but she refused to slow down. If the half-demon had been able to breech the shrine something must have befallen her sister. Kikyou, even under the half-breed's spells, would never let him touch the jewel.

She squinted, her right eye hidden behind a fresh bandage, at a figure standing at the edge of the forest. Clothed in the garb of a priestess, the figure held out a bow. As Kaede watched, she let loose an arrow, an arrow that found its home buried in the chest of an inu-hanyou. Kikyou had pinned her lover against the old God Tree.

The shock at her sister's action faded into horror when Kikyou collapsed, reclaiming the stolen jewel.

Kaede rushed forward. "Sister Kikyou!" she cried, drowning out her sister's labored breaths. Kikyou had been hurt. The flow of blood that pooled around her fallen frame was enough to indicate that she the wound would be fatal.

Kikyou opened her eyes wide and tried, in vain, to calm her younger sister. She did not do so with words, for sisters do not need to communicate with words. Her very gaze told Kaede how sorry she was.

"Take the jewel and burn it with my body," Kikyou instructed, using her last breaths to see to her duty. There was nothing else she could do.

Kaede took the jewel, slick with Kikyou's spilt blood, from her sister and held it close to her chest. She nodded once, accepting the task. But hidden within that nod was another acceptance. She accepted her sister's apology.

Her left eye clouded over with tears at the sight of the young maiden's limp form. Kikyou said she would always be there. Her sister lied.

---

"Sister?" It had been fifty years since she burned Kikyou's body yet there the young maiden was, alive. Her eye narrowed in confusion and she reached for her bow. The aura surrounding the girl was as powerful as Kikyou's aura had ever been and it held no hint of death nor the afterlife. "Sister Kikyou?"

Her old feet shuffled forward, treading the familiar path that she had walked for the past sixty years. She headed towards the village center and paused at the edge of the mat. The villagers, always wary of strangers – and this girl in her short kimono with an alien accent certainly was strange – had bound the woman and placed her in the center for Kaede's inspection.

Kaede's heart beat at an increased rate but she showed no surprise at the maiden's appearance. Instead, she threw herbs at the girl and tried to banish any spirits that might be at fault for this deception.

Nothing happened. If anything, the girl just looked annoyed. Kaede's heart slowed to its normal rate. Kikyou never looked annoyed. This was not Kikyou.

Against her better judgment, yet in favor of her curiosity, she brought the girl into the hut she once shared with her sister. It was not much longer that she discovered that this girl – Kagome – was Kikyou reborn. The Shikon no Tama that burst from her body verified Kaede's suspicions. The jewel had returned.

Her left eye closed in understanding, shutting out the sight of the confused young maiden in strange attire. Kikyou said she would always be there. In a way, Kikyou had ultimately kept her promise. Kikyou had returned.


	10. FRAGILE MINDS

Title: _Fragile Minds_

Part of: _Inuyasha_ _no konto_

Theme: _Broken_

Word Count: _1126_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_Fragile Minds_

Higurashi Souta has a lot of time to think about the past. It was, he concluded, not his fault if things were that easily broken.

--

Higurashi Souta has a lot of time to think about the past.

_It was_, he concluded, _not my fault at all_. If the objects he encountered had not been so fragile they never would have broken so easily. And, of course, if such objects had remained in tact he never would had found himself in such a situation to begin with. Therefore, it could not possibly be his fault.

But that did not matter now. Things were broken and he had found himself embarking out on a quest that would eventually consume him entirely. _If only I had never followed Buuyo into the well house…_

It had started that day. He remembered it well – it had been his fifteenth birthday. The cat had turned up missing that morning and his younger brother had been too nervous to follow the animal into the old fixture. He carelessly went inside himself. He barely had time to reach for Buuyo before a centipede youkai appeared and dragged him into the well.

His own body was the first to betray him. A simple tear of his flesh and the fabled Shikon no Tama had burst from his torso. The fact that the jewel was in his possession was the first sign that his destiny had caused his appearance in the past. _If only I had never been born with the Sacred Jewel inside of me…_

The jewel was the next object to succumb to his clumsiness. In an attempt to retrieve the jewel, foolishly lost to a bird youkai, he had shot the bird's own foot at the demon. The arrow, no doubt, had met its target, the foot being drawn to the allure of the jewel. But the shot succeeded not only in destroying the crow but also in shattering the jewel. In that one instance he had just resigned himself to a dual life. The past became more than history to him as he, along with an inu hanyou, a kitsune, a monk & a taijiya, journeyed to recover the shattered shards of the jewel. Their journey led them on a second quest – to hunt down and defeat the demon Naraku. His appearance caused more bloodshed and heartache than any of their small group could imagine, yet they all came face to face with such grief – all in the name of the Shikon no Tama. _If only I had never shattered the jewel…_

Many other objects were put to the test but, in one way or the other, failed to withstand. The kotodama rosary snapped after a particularly violent _Osuwari_ command; Inuyasha's great sword, Tessaiga, snapped, cracked and broke more times than he could count though it was always able to be repaired if the group undertook certain dangerous tasks. With the sudden, and random, appearances of Kikyou, a heart broke continuously. A wandering hand, belonging to a lecherous monk, caused a giant boomerang to crack just as often as Tessaiga did. But as long as the spell between the two times held fast, Souta was content. He had two lives – and he couldn't be happier.

But happiness is a fragile thing. It, too, is easily broken.

It was the final object to break that resulted in his being trapped in the past, in the Sengoku Jidai. After a singularly fierce battle between the Inu-tachi and Naraku, the evil man-demon hybrid took revenge by shattering the well. Souta has been stuck five hundred years in the past ever since. He can only wonder how his family had reacted when the well caved in on their property. But at least he still had Inuyasha.

A knock on the open doorframe interrupted his thoughts. "Good evening, Higurashi," smiled a woman as she entered the room, a miniature plastic cup in her hand. Vaguely he remembered her. _She reminds me of Mama_, he thought sadly. His mother had gone forever from his reach the day the well splintered under Naraku's attack.

The woman, clean and pristine in her white uniform, swirled the cup mixing the pinkish mixture it contained. "Time for your medicine."

Souta opened his mouth to reply but, when he did, it was not his voice that left his throat but a deep, gruff one. "Oi, wench. Can't you see that we're busy here?" As he spoke he manipulated the white pillow – complete with a crude rendering of amber eyes and fluffy dog ears drawn in the center – that was propped next to him in the bed.

His nurse was used to such behavior from the young patient. Her smile remained in place.

Souta's eyes sprung open and he clamped his mouth shut. Then, adopting a falsetto that sent chills up the nurse's spine, he opened his mouth and shrieked, "Osuwari!" The pillow dropped to the ground. Souta giggled.

The nurse's smile wavered. It seemed as if he was only growing worse. He had already been in the hospital for two years with no sign that he'd be returning to his mother's home any time in the future. It had nearly killed the poor woman to admit her only son into the institution, especially so soon after her other child, a teenage girl, disappeared from home. It was his sister's disappearance, the nurse understood, that had led the young man to adopt such delusions. Right before Mrs. Higurashi brought her son to the hospital the young man had tried to jump into the broken remains of an old well in search of, as he said repeatedly before his medication was regulated, "Nee-chan and Inu-no-oniichan".

The nurse approached him slowly, careful not to disturb the young man. She handed him the plastic cup that contained his nightly dose. "Here you are, Higurashi—"

"My name is Kagome. Ka. Go. Me," he said sullenly continuing in the falsetto as he reached off of his bed to pick up the pillow. "And this is Inuyasha. Inuyasha, say 'hi'."

He bounced the pillow once before turning it around so that the nurse could not see the drawn-on face. "Keh."

"Hello, Kagome. Hello, Inuyasha. It's nice to see you both. I have a present for you now… your medicine," she said, soothingly, waiting for him to take the cup. When he hesitated she continued. "If you two are going to defeat Naraku, you need to be strong."

Immediately he reached for the cup. He swallowed its contents in one gulp before handing the plastic cup back to the nurse.

Once the liquid had been swallowed the medicine began to take hold. Drowsiness overcame the young man. He leaned back in his bed and calmly closed his eyes. As he drifted off to a dreamless sleep his thoughts turned again to the past.

Higurashi Souta has a lot of time to think about the past.


	11. MIZUKO

Title: _Mizuko_

Part of: _Inuyasha_ _no konto_

Theme: _Missed Opportunity_

Word Count: _461_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_Mizuko_

When she was little, all she ever wanted was her own little family. Sometimes life doesn't work out the way you planned. There's a time for everything – it's just not hers yet.

--

The train ride was agonizing. She folded her hands over her mid-section trying in vain to ignore her own upset. _If only Kisho had taken time off of work to come with me for this…_ A comforting squeeze of the hand was all it would take to make this decision seem all the more _right_.

_Of course_, she thought, nervously tapping her abdomen before dropping her hand abruptly, _can a decision like this ever be right?_ She trembled slightly but refused to break. This would not break her.

She kept her composure, placing her hands at her side. If Kisho felt that the time was not right, the time was not right. They had only just married. They had years to come for this.

She barely registered when the train arrived at her location. She rose daintily from her seat; to all the riders she appeared to be a young woman out in Tokyo for a day of shopping. They never would expect what her errand really entailed.

She reached for her purse and followed an elderly gentleman off of the train. She focused on the graying of his hair. While her intent had been to forget about her destination the result was that she was reminded of her father's response to the news.

He had been thrilled to hear that his daughter would honor him by making him a grandfather. It had pleased him greatly that she had had a traditional Shinto wedding; he was even happier that she and Kisho were starting their family so soon.

She hadn't the heart to tell him that Kisho had already made her the doctor's appointment. 

_Get off the train. It's the building at the end of the block._ Kisho's brief instructions rang in her head. _It's all set. Give the receptionist your name and she'll bring you to your doctor. It will all be over within an hour. I'll see you after I get home from work._ And, with a quick kiss on the forehead, he was off to work.

She sighed. _Shikata_ _ganai_, she thought, slumping her shoulders in defeat. She had made it inside of the building without even realizing it.

Slowly she approached the desk and waited. The woman behind the desk smiled warmly at her. "Do you have an appointment, dear?"

She paused and, for a moment, just stared at the receptionist. Finally, she nodded.

The woman nodded with her. The act was meant to be reassuring; she was not the first confused young woman this receptionist had seen, she would not be the last. "What's your name?"

She took a deep breath and smiled shakily back. "Higurashi."

And somewhere, in a place five hundred years in the past, a silver-haired hanyou fell deeper into an enchanted sleep.

--

Statistics: according to a 1982 study (circa Kagome's birth) 60 of women in Japan, 40, with college degrees & an executive level husband, admitted to having at least 1 abortion.

Translations:  
_Shikata_ _ganai_ – there's nothing to be done; an attitude towards the use of abortion as a means of birth control.

_Mizuko_ – water child; "Whenever a child is born in Japan, a local Shinto shrine adds the child's name to a list kept at the shrine and declares him or her "Ujiko", literally named child… Those children who die before addition to the list are called "Mizuko", literally water child, and believed to cause troubles and plagues. "Mizuko" are often worshipped in a Shinto shrine dedicated to stilling their anger and sadness. These shrines have become more popular with the growth of abortion in modern Japan."


	12. ÉCHANGÉ

Title: _Échangé_

Part of: _Inuyasha_ _no konto_

Theme: _Ten Years in the Future_

Word Count: _1942_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_Échangé_

_Mama, can you tell me the story?_  
Hidden within a child's fairy tale, one woman struggles to discover the truth about herself, her husband, and the other woman.

--

The little girl clamored into the hut, her long silver hair – _so like the color of her father's_, her mother noted with a grin – fanning out behind her. She was only three years old – _had it already been three years?_ – but could already keep up with the kitsune. She raced to the corner of the hut and threw herself into the lap of her mother. "Mama," she squealed and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck.

Her mother barely had time to wonder about the sudden show of affection before the girl's father came bounding in through the hut's entrance. His golden eyes twinkled with excitement that had only previously shown during battle. The look had been eerily absent for many years to follow the collapsing of the ancient well but now that his demons had been defeated, the look was always present when he gazed upon his fledgling family.

His daughter squealed again and held tight to her mother – _I wonder what those two were doing out there?_ – before grinning cheekily at her father. She knew how to play her parent's against each other; her mother was a weak human, her father a powerful half-demon. She may be able to play games with her father but they both needed to be careful around her mother.

_Not that I can't take care of myself_, she thought, moving her daughter to sit in her lap. _No one was my equal with a bow_. Inuyasha sat down across from his wife and reached out for the girl. She laughed and climbed into the protective hold of her mother. He smirked. _Kid learns fast_.

She giggled at her father's smirk before trying to mimic the expression. Her tiny nose crinkled and the nub of a baby fang protruded over her lip. She looked adorable. Inuyasha laughed.

Her mother laughed softly and patted the girl's head, careful to brush the fur on her white dog ears – _another trait of her father's_ – downward so as not to irritate it. She snuggled up against the warmth of her mother's hand and grinned, foregoing the attempted smirk that had just been there. "Mama?" she asked, breaking the comfortable silence with her high-pitched voice, "can you tell me the story?"

_The story_. Her mother had told her the story during her first human night. Inuyasha had been protecting the village from a fierce oni and had not been there to keep the child calm – it was her human mother's turn to do so. Though she didn't understand the language then, the calming presence of her mother as she spun her tale the entire night kept her from panicking as she lost her demons powers. It was the first thing that had occurred to her to tell her fearful child; it was the story she knew best. It had then become tradition for her to tell her daughter the story every full moon since – and many times beside that.

The child loved the story because, as a child, she could accept the improbabilities of the story. It never occurred to her to question it at all.

Which made sense, of course, seeing that ever word of the story was true. It was glossed over to spare the child the nasty details of death and destruction, but true nonetheless.

Inuyasha stretched out and lay on the floor of the hut; the story brought back far too many memories for him. He didn't need to hear it for the countless time – he lived it. To him, the story was far more than a familiar fairy tale.

Her mother smiled down on the expectant child. "Of course," she answered and watched her child's blue-grey eyes – _my sole contribution to our child's appearance_, she thought wryly – light up. She tweaked her nose gently and began to recite; she had told the child the 'story' so many times it began to spill from her lips, bringing the child back to a time long past – _if, by long past, I mean ten years ago_, she thought to herself but she never said that part out loud. To the child, it wasn't all true – it was just her favorite story.

She began the story in the same place she began it every time.

_Once upon a time there was a virtuous miko and the hanyou that loved her very much. She loved him back but her duty as a priestess, guarding the famous Shikon no Tama, kept them from being together. One day, though, they decided to run away and be with another for their love overcame that. She would give up being a priestess and he would become sacrifice his demon blood for her and they would be happy. But, before they could, a bad man tricked the hanyou and the priestess into hurting each other. The priestess was murdered but, before she died, she sealed the hanyou to a tree in an everlasting sleep. But the sleep did not last forever. _

Somewhere, in the future, the reincarnation of the first priestess fell down a well near her hut and landed in the past. This girl, a priestess in her own right, was treated as a stranger before the village recognized her as the reincarnation of their beloved first priestess. It had been fifty years since she had been killed and she returned to them -- and they were happy. They were happy until this second priestess awoke the sleeping hanyou, who had remained sealed to the tree. When he woke up he hated her because he thought she was the first priestess. But she wasn't. She was Kagome...

She paused in her narration. She knew what was coming next.

"That's my name," the little girl interrupted, grinning widely. Her mother knew that her daughter – _her_ Kagome – sat through the entire beginning of the story every time just so she could interrupt at that part. It was almost as if she felt that, because she and the character shared the name, she was a part of the story. Which, of course, she was – she was, after all, the child of the main characters.

"Yes, my Kagome." Her mother agreed her as she always agreed at that part in the story; it was her indication that the story had pleased the child. After three years of telling the story to her child, she had memorized all of her cues. She said the same lines so often that her child failed to notice that her mother was less fluid when discussing the arrival of the Kagome character. It was, in truth, her mother's least favorite part - _aside from the betrayal in the beginning_ - of the whole story.

She began to recite the rest of the story but knew she would not have to speak much longer. Kagome always lost interest in the story after her namesake's arrival through enchanted well. Now that she was a little older, she no longer wanted to listen to the rest of the tale. She had heard her mother tell of the introduction of a kitsune, followed by a cursed monk and a determined taijiya. She delighted and squealed in disgust at the mention of a dead miko being raised from the ground and walking one more among the living. She hissed and enjoyed hearing about the demon Naraku who, as the ultimate villain in the story, seemed to orchestrate the entire tale. But on days when she was cranky or tired - _such as today_, her mother thought, remembering that Kagome and Inuyasha had been playing out in the village earlier that afternoon - she barely made it past the second priestess's introduction before napping or stopping her mother from reciting the rest of the story.

She had never gotten to the end, though, to the part where Naraku was defeated. She had missed out on the next scene of the tale when the famed Shikon no Tama was complete and wished upon. She never knew that her beloved Kagome had used the jewel to wish life into the dead priestess; she never heard how the original Kagome had disappeared at the close of her wish leaving them all behind. She had yet to hear how the once-dead miko and the hanyou finally decided to marry and start their own little family, naming their first child after the strange time-traveling miko who, with her kind heart and pure intent, repaired a betrayal from half a century before nor the part where the monk and the taijiya married and moved to a far distant land – _the exterminator's village_, she remembered, though they hadn't met up with the pair since Sango announced she was with her third child.

Soft snores broke up the remainder of the tale. She looked down to see that Kagome had fallen asleep in her embrace. She lovingly caressed her child's hair. Inuyasha's ear twitched and turned to watch his two women. When he saw that his daughter was fast asleep he sat up. "It works every time, Kikyou," he acknowledged and reached for Kagome's small form. "Keh, I don't understand how you telling her about us killing Naraku puts her to sleep."

The former dead miko – now alive and no longer virginal – allowed her husband to place their child on her mat. She thought about his comment and bowed her head. "She doesn't listen to it for Naraku, Inuyasha. It's for _her_." She didn't look up as she spoke.

It had been ten years since the strange girl from the future disappeared in a flash of pink light and the collapse of a well. It had been six years since she last spoke to Inuyasha about _his_ Kagome and the feelings they shared. It had been four years since she married Inuyasha. It had been three since she named her first child after the woman who made it all possible.

Deep down, she knew that's why she continued to repeat the story to _her_ Kagome, emphasizing the generosity of the second priestess; she needed to remind him that _his_ Kagome had been special to her as well in a strange enough way. But it was she that remained. Kikyou was still there and she had sacrificed enough for him – _as much as Kagome did_, she often thought to herself – to be with him. Wasn't she the one who gave up her miko status to marry him? Hadn't it been she who carried his child?

Kikyou kept her head bowed at her thoughts. She always felt guilty when she thought poorly of her reincarnation; while five hundred years separated the women, they still shared a soul. It had been her parting gift to them all: a life for Kikyou, a wife for Inuyasha, a future for Kagome. In the end she had done what was best for them all.

If only she could convince herself that what the girl had done was right.

The hanyou didn't answer. He didn't have to. He loved her, Kikyou knew that. Inuyasha had always loved her – ten years ago, fifty years ago – for their love was lasting. She knew that, too.

And she knew that he loved _her_ – ten years ago, five hundred years in the future – for their love was lasting. She knew that, too.

_Such is the sorrow in sharing a soul._

And, not for the first time since the well crumbled, Kikyou understood just how Kagome had felt every time she had shown up unexpectedly during her quest. It was the same way Kikyou felt when she was reminded of her husband's affection for her reincarnation.

It may have been ten years but it had not been five hundred yet.


	13. LYING EYES

Title: _Lying Eyes_

Part of: _Inuyasha_ _no konto_

Theme: _Little White Lies_

Word Count: _245_

Disclaimer: _Any characters within these shorts are the creative property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are being used for non-profit recreation._

--

_Lying Eyes_

_You can't hide those lying eyes_.  
Miroku knew he was lying to her but that was alright. She was lying right back.

--

He sat on the grass leaning up against a nearby boulder. His eyes were roaming as he pretended to watch the sunset. That, at least, had been his excuse when he took his leave from his companions. What he really was trying to do was avoid the truth.

He glanced downwards and looked at his right hand. He felt the faint but constant pull of his kazaana; the prayer beads kept the wind tunnel from its potency but did nothing to keep the sensation from ceasing. He always felt it there. It was a reminder – a morbid reminder of what his fate would be.

He knew it. He could no longer deny it. It had been far too long and Naraku had not been defeated. He accepted the inevitable – the curse was going to kill him.

"Houshi-sama? Are you alright?"

Miroku dropped his hand and smiled at the taijiya as she approached him tentatively. "Of course, my dear Sango." 

She saw it, though. She saw it in his eyes. She sat down beside him and put on a brave smile; it seemed almost second nature by now to wear the expression. "Don't worry. We'll get Naraku soon. Kagome-chan thinks that she can sense another jewel shard around here, too."

He nodded but knew her words were nothing more than empty encouragement coupled with a bit of disillusioned hope. No – not hope. She knew what his fate would be.

He could see it in her eyes.


End file.
